Chapter 354: Stunning the Earth Quadrant

Jiang Chen’s two moves had been quite ruthless. The force from his grab crippled He Yan’s hand, and the force from his kick thoroughly wasted He Yan’s spirit ocean.

There wasn’t the slightest trace of mercy.

He’d no need to show any mercy either. In that moment previously, He Yan had shown none, and had absolutely wanted to fight Jiang Chen to the death.

Even those observing the match had thought that He Yan had killed Jiang Chen.

Therefore, when faced with someone who wanted to kill him, how could Jiang Chen show any mercy?

Master Shuiyue took a glance, and the killing intent in her phoenix eyes exploded out with no boundary. She let out a long whistle as a fierce aura broiled upwards.

“Dumb animal, you dare cripple my disciple?!”

This imposing aura didn’t frighten Jiang Chen.

He remained as distant as the clouds and winds, a remote expression appearing on his face as he flicked a glance towards Master Shuiyue like he was looking at an idiot.

“Him wanting to kill me was natural and right, but me crippling him violated one of heaven’s laws? Is this the four great sects’ selection or your Purple Sun Sect selection? Go back to your sect if you want you word to be law or if you want to be tyrannical. No one will interfere with you there. What are you strutting around here for?”

Jiang Chen laughed coldly, wholly unafraid of Master Shuiyue’s, whose posture was like she wanted to eat someone.

Since they’d erupted in open hostility, there was no need to put on a veneer of politeness.

You’re the keeper alright.

But if you keep suppressing me this shamelessly, then I’ll be damned if I keep playing with you. If it comes down to it, we’ll just have a huge fight and then have nothing to do with each other.

Jiang Chen knew that the four great sects were a mutually restraining force, and they would never let this old woman act as she would.

She had gone out for wool, but came home shorn instead. A flash of regret and apology appeared in Master Shuiyue’s heart as she looked down at the crippled and now useless He Yan.

In the end, it’d been her arbitrary willfulness that had harmed her disciple.

He Yan probably wouldn’t have ended up in such tragic straits if she hadn’t obstinately wanted to target the secular genius.

What was most laughable was that she’d been so self satisfied with her previous plans, but had ultimately been hoodwinked by the secular genius.

The exhaustion that he’d displayed in the previous two battles had been to purposefully show a weak side to his enemies and baffle his opponents.

How pitiful that, even her, a sect heavyweight, had naively believed this.

Master Shuiyue was utterly infuriated at this moment. She’d truly picked up a stone to smash down upon her own foot.

“Good, good, good! I, Shuiyue, have dominated the sixteen kingdoms for over a hundred years. You’re the first person who dares waste my disciple in front of me.”

If an examiner could make a move, Master Shuiyue would’ve, at this moment, given absolutely no thought to anything else to kill Jiang Chen.

However, she could only hold her nose and keep it in for now. The hate in her chest, though, roiled up to the heavens.

Jiang Chen shrugged, ignoring Master Shuiyue’s killer look as he pushed off of both feet and floated back down to the ground.

“You won’t die if you don’t come asking for it. I hope that there are more of these idiots who come seeking death.”

Jiang Chen showed the image of his back to Master Shuiyue and said faintly.

“Master Shuiyue, let me advise you about something. You will bring down consequences on yourself if your actions are unjust. You don’t need to send your disciples to their death even if you’re that prejudiced against me.”

He didn’t need to worry about being challenged after getting off the ring this time. A candidate could only be challenged at most three times a day.

He had already been challenged three times in a row and had reached his limit.

Jiang Chen ignored the shocked gazes around him and returned to his original spot, sitting down with a grand flourish and paying no heed to the reactions of the outside world.

The other candidates were utterly flabbergasted this time.

Everyone knew that this secular genius was incredible beyond comprehension, but to be so extraordinary was beyond their imagination.

He’d dared to lecture Master Shuiyue!

To the candidates of the earth quadrant, this was high treason and courting death!

Who didn’t know that Master Shuiyue’s personality was domineering? Once she formed a grudge against you, your future in the plot of land that was the earth quadrant would become dismal indeed.

However, the secular genius had dared to do so, and didn’t mince his words at all. He’d dared to say that Master Shuiyue would see the consequences of her own actions!

This tone was sarcastically pointing out that Master Shuiyue was manipulating the trial and purposefully suppressing him, sending her disciples into the ring to suppress him!

However, when the candidates thought carefully, they felt that there was some logic in Jiang Chen’s words.

He did indeed have a reason to lose his temper. He’d been challenged three times in a row, and the challenge times had been so close to each other that they had been almost without pause.

He’d fought one match and had yet to even catch his breath when he was selected again. This had happened three times in a row, and if one were to claim that this was a coincidence, it would truly be a hard sell.

“Could it be that Master Shuiyue is really manipulating the matches to purposefully suppress the secular genius?”

“I hadn’t thought that the Purple Sun Sect would be so biased against the secular genius. There are indeed traces of manipulation in these matches. Otherwise, how could he have been selected three times in a row and been sent to the ring of ice all three times? This was obviously a match set up for He Yan. What a pity that human scheming is no match for the plans of heaven. Who would’ve thought that the secular genius would put on such a fantastic display in the ring of ice?”

Jiang Chen had captured the limelight previously by trampling Ouyang Jian. Everyone had thought that he’d perhaps had some fortuitous circumstances in the realm of fire, or had some treasure protecting him.

Add to that Jiang Chen’s labored performance in the ring of ice, no one had any thoughts that he’d be able to pull off such a comeback in the ring of ice.

It was now apparent that the secular genius was a shrewd person!

Even the normally crafty Master Shuiyue had been taken in by the illusion crafted by this kid, losing a prized disciple for nothing!

Who would’ve thought that a fellow who had appeared so exhausted previously would suddenly be infused with the vigor of tigers and dragons, easily destroying He Yan?

Who would’ve thought that He Yan’s strong power of ice would become as weak as the remnants of tofu in front of this secular genius?

Everything had looked so accidental, but was also the irrefutable truth.

As they watched Master Shuiyue’s darkened face, the candidate hearts started thumping wildly as they silently prayed that this woman wouldn’t vent her ill temper on anyone else.

At the same time, candidates who’d always been put out by the Purple Sun Sect also felt delighted. They’d felt noticeably that during this time, Master Shuiyue was biased towards the Purple Sun Sect.

However, this kind of prejudice could only be felt, and evidence was hard to obtain.

They’ve only ever been able to be silently outraged about this, but unable to voice their thoughts. Now that they saw someone finally take a stand and attack Master Shuiyue without hesitation, they all felt quite vindicated.

The scales of their hearts unconsciously tilted towards Jiang Chen, the secular candidate.

“This secular genius is indeed frightening. It looks like even the Purple Sun Sect won’t find it that easy to suppress him. His battle today is likely going to spread throughout the four sects. If the forefathers are disturbed, Master Shuiyue will likely be in for a further lecture.”

Indeed, this candidate had such a heaven defying potential in both fire and water. He would be of the first tier existences even in the four great sects.

Sure, he had incredible good luck.Yeah, his potential was uncommonly good. None of this changed one fact, and that was the fact that he was indeed quite extraordinary.

Even people as strong as Ouyang Jian and He Yan had been easily defeated in the rings they were best at.

Yes, an absolutely crushing defeat.

Whether it was Ouyang Jian or He Yan, the grand moves that they had deployed didn’t even actually threatened their opponent.

On the contrary, Jiang Chen had dispelled them easily and had counterattacked with one blow.

He’d also done so quite easily, so it wasn’t an exaggeration at all to say that he’d completely crushed them.

Even the strongest, first level geniuses of the earth quadrant had to admire such a genius, and would even be envious of him.

“This freak genius of the boulder’s heart and from the ordinary world is so domineering to begin with. If he’d been a lineal descendent of the sect, he’d likely rank in the top ten of the sky quadrant by now?”

“We’ll have to see what Master Shuiyue is going to do about this now. However, judging from the looks of things, it’ll be hard for her to keep him within the earth quadrant. Unless she ignores the rules and does so herself, it’ll be almost impossible for her to contain him in the earth quadrant!”

“I wonder how he’ll perform in the ring of gravity, the ring of thorns, and the ring of spirit devouring? If his performance is domineering in those three great rings as well, then there will be no doubt about as to who will be the champion of the earth quadrant.”

The first level candidates were all feeling a complex mix of emotions.

Some of them admired Jiang Chen and lauded his courage. After all, he truly was the first one who dared to call out Master Shuiyue in the earth quadrant.

Of course, there were also those who were jealous of him. What right did a secular disciple have to be thus domineering? How were the sect disciples supposed to survive this way?

Of course, there were also calmer candidates who analyzed this complicated situation, and had to admit in the end that an unforeseen factor had appeared in the fight for the top ten of the earth quadrant.

The one most excited now was Liu Wencai. Although he wasn’t applauding like Dan Fei had earlier, his look of excitement was hard to conceal.

“Damn strong! How do you define a momentum that presses forward bravely? This is the aura that a genius cultivator should have! I’ve always thought that Brother Boulder was strong, but it seems like I’ve still underestimated him.”

Liu Wencai was incredibly excited, and he felt proud of his eye for assessment. He also felt glory and satisfaction for being able to interact with such a person.

Little fatty Lu was also delighted as he looked at Jiang Chen’s haughty appearance with squinting eyes. He, too, was completely overcome by all of this.

When some people considered themselves above all else, that didn't come off as a noble bearing, it rather reeked of cocky strutting around and narcissism.

But Jiang Chen’s expression of pride now was a true mighty bearing. He returned strongly from the ring, ignoring the hundreds of complicated looks being shot at him, and paid no attention to the outside world’s reaction.

Accept it if you will, reject it if not. All are as if the clouds to me.

This was the true demeanor of one on high -- there is no one else apart from me.

“Mm, not only is Brother Boulder’s strength above all, his talents are extraordinary. What’s more rare is that his will is as a boulder’s heart, unwavering and indestructible. It would be hard for such a genius not to rise.” Fatty Lu came to his own conclusion and further reaffirmed his desire to kiss up to Jiang Chen.

“I, Fatty Lu, have always been dismissed by others in the sect and have bumbled through my days like a clown. No one’s ever respected me. Brother Boulder was a chance acquaintance, but not only did he play along with me, he didn’t disdain the fact that my features are ugly. To be able to become friends with such a person must be a great fortune that I’ve earned in my past life. I must hold onto his leg tightly and steel my heart to stand on his side. Perhaps, this might be a large stroke of fortune in the future.”

Fatty Lu’s rules of survival may have been inferior and humble, but he also had his own logic to them as well.

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